Ghost dances : proving up on the Great Plains / Josh Garrett-Davis.
Growing up in South Dakota, Josh Garrett-Davis always knew he would leave. But as a young adult, he kept going back -- in dreams and reality and by way of books. With this narrative about a seemingly empty but actually rich and complex place, he has reclaimed his childhood, his unusual family, and the Great Plains. He discusses the destruction and resurgence of the American bison; Native American "Ghost Dancers," who attempted to ward off destruction by supernatural means before the 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee; the political allegory to be found in The Wizard of Oz; and current attempts by ecologists to "rewild" the Plains. Garrett-Davis includes stories of his family as well -- including his great-great-grandparents' twenty-year sojourn in Nebraska as homesteaders and his progressive Methodist cousin Ruth, a missionary in China ousted by Mao's revolution. Ghost Dances is a fluid combination of memoir and history and reportage that reminds us that our roots matter -- and might even be inspiring and fascinating.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780316199841
- ISBN: 0316199842
- Physical Description: vii, 327 pages : illustrations, maps ; 22 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York : Little, Brown and Co., 2012.
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 299-315) and index. |
Formatted Contents Note: | Superstition vs. investigation -- Landscape of motion -- Ghost Dances -- The three guys who knew -- Other selves -- The pen and plow -- Ruth Harris -- A buffalo common place -- Leaves of grass -- Ghost Dances -- Epilogue: Pratincole. |
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Genre: | Biographies. History. |
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Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
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Homer Public Library | 978 GAR (Text) | 000159114 | Nonfiction | Available | - |